Malicious Tragedy
by Feyth
Summary: Ryouga is given the chance to become a vampire. Will he take it?


Disclaimer: This fic was inspired by the works of the wonderfully talented Anne Rice, and is dedicated to my beautiful friend, Alice. The nameless "gaijin" vampire is based off of Lestat, who is a character created by Anne Rice. The world of Ranma 1/2 and all characters within are copyright Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, Shounen Sunday Comics, etc. This fic is fan-based, and I'm making nothing but a fool of myself for writing it; as well, it's not meant to infringe on any copyrights. I'm just trying to write something semi-entertaining. Blahblahblah, etc.  
  
  
Malicious Tragedy  
  
  
_"I'm going to give you a choice. A choice that I was never given..."_  
  
  
Even as the cool words had slithered their way out of thin, perfect lips, the man who had uttered them already knew the answer. He usually went after the pretty ones; the young rich boys with royal blood. Yes, those were the ones he preferred, but, for a reason the young man couldn't figure out, the pale-faced, golden-haired creature of the night had come to him.  
Perhaps it was that his soul was blackened, practically already over the thin line which was the threshold between the living and those who did not. Maybe it was because, although his blood did not taste of royalty, his face was pretty enough to be noticed. Ryouga Hibiki was twenty years old, with a handsome, brooding face that darkness knew well, and the dark one couldn't resist. Thick, silken black hair covered his head wild bangs straying over deep brown eyes, and although he was trim, hard muscles rippled over his entire body.  
  
Ryouga watched the sunrise for one last time that morning, as had been suggested to him. _Fushigi na gaijin_, mysterious foreigner, who had enticed Ryouga with his dark power-- his dark gift-- and the promise to share it. The feminine gaijin was good at that; luring to himself the young and beautiful, and then, without a hint of fault, draining the life from them. As much as he wanted to feel his fangs sink into the warm flesh of the beautiful boy, he held back. _"This one will be worth keeping.."_ He had thought to himself, and so, he had offered the boy the dark gift.  
After the sun had peaked fully over the horizon, Ryouga turned from the light, and began to walk. There were people: people he needed to bid farewell to, people he needed to confront one last time. If he started now, he was sure that even his horrible sense of direction wouldn't damper his finding them. He traveled for hours on end, and when he thought that he might just give up, he found himself looking up at the sign of a familiar restaurant.  
Moving aside the curtain-esque cloth which served as a sort of door, Ryouga walked inside, just enough to glance around. It was still a few hours before the lunch rush would sweep in, and the restaurant was seemingly empty. Glad that he would have the full attention of the owner, Ryouga walked in silence to the counter, and sat down.  
Although he had made no noise whatsoever, a feminine voice called out from the back storage room. "I'll be right out!" Ryouga sat silently, and waited.  
A few minutes later, a young woman walked into view, taking her place behind the grill which was built into the counter Ryouga sat at. She was like a beautiful jewel, with long chestnut hair and bright, twinkling eyes of the same color. "Ryouga!" She smiled at the sight of him, and leaned against the cool griddle. "What brings you here?"  
"I came to thank you for everything you've done for me, Ukyou." Ryouga said softly. Over the past four years, these two young people, who had once been nothing more than acquaintances, had become the best of friends. Tough times and a love between the two people whom Ryouga and Ukyou loved had brought the two closer, and had made them nearly inseparable. There was no denying that Ukyou still thought that Ryouga was the most idiotic person in the world, but the two had become better friends.  
Ukyou blinked, tilting her head to one side. "Ryouga, Sugar, is everything okay?" The young woman's cherubic smile faded, and an expression of worry replaced it. Ryouga placed his hand over hers and gave it a small squeeze.  
"Everything is fine, Ukyou." He assured her, giving her a gentle smile.  
"Then what's with the 'thank you for everything' bit?"  
"Ukyou.." Ryouga removed his hand from a top hers and leaned back. "I have to say my good-byes. I know, I've said that I was leaving before and come back a few days later. This time, Ucchan," Ryouga explained, calling the girl by the nickname that so few did, "I have no choice but to not come back."  
"Ryouga, you always come back! I know you will again.." Ukyou smiled and laughed lightly, but there were still hints of doubt and concern lingering in her eyes. Ryouga shook his head. _"Stupid idiot, what's he up to now?" _She thought to herself.  
Ryouga held out a thousand yen note. "Please, Ukyou, one deluxe okonomiyaki, to go."  
Ukyou sighed, taking the yen, then fired up the grill. "Alright, sugar."  
  
----  
  
Wandering. He hated how no matter how hard he tried, no matter what maps he consulted, no matter how many people he asked, he was always lost. Always wandering.   
  
Today was different, however.  
  
He wasn't as frustrated or impatient as he usually was. Looking up, he saw that the sun was still high in the sky; he had plenty of time to find his way to where he was going. Chewing, piece by piece, on the okonomiyaki he had bought from Ukyou, he continued to walk, aimlessly, and at the same time, with only one destination in mind.  
As he finished the okonomiyaki, Ryouga threw away the box it came in. Having seen Ukyou was a good thing, indeed; it meant he was in Nerima, and he was close to where he wanted to be.  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he looked up. "I made it.." Ryouga murmured, surprising himself a little. He had been thinking that perhaps he would never find his way to his destination. The young man made his way to the front door, and knocked.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'!" A voice called from inside the building. Ryouga waited, patiently, for the door to open, and as it did, he grinned.  
"Oh, it's you. Hey Ryou--"  
Ryouga, not waiting for a greeting, or to be let in, punched Ranma Saotome, who had opened the door, square in the face.  
  
"Ow, what the hell?!" The boy with the pig-tail and the beautiful blue eyes staggered back, not expecting the attack.  
"Saotome Ranma," Ryouga said, inviting himself inside the Tendou's home, "I have come to challenge you one last time."  
"Last time until when? Next time you find the dojou?" Ranma asked, a smirk forming on his lips.   
"Shut up!" Ryouga snarled, swinging at his arch-nemesis again. This time, however, Ranma was not caught off guard, and easily avoided Ryouga's attack.  
"Come on, P-chan, let's take this outside." He told the other man playfully, dancing out of the way as Ryouga continued to throw punches, and heading towards the backyard.  
  
How many years had it been since Ryouga and Ranma had first dueled? Four years-- maybe five? Ryouga, couldn't recall. He was only certain that whenever it had truly counted for anything, Ranma won. Ranma won the serious duels. Ranma won the important fights. Ranma won the love of Akane Tendou.  
Ryouga hated Ranma with a passion like no other, and this time, he intended to win.  
  
He failed, again. As the boys exchanged punches and kicks, knees and elbows, sweeps and blocks, Ranma continued to fall back. Ryouga was stronger than Ranma, undoubtedly, and his stamina was much greater, but Ranma was quicker. At that moment, that was all that mattered as Ranma quickly jumped backwards in the air and Ryouga, using all of his momentum and force to beat the other man, tripped over the rocks surrounding the koi pond in the Tendou's backyard, and fell in.  
  
Ryouga had been one of a small group of people who had fallen victim to a strange Chinese curse. The curse, by all means not pleasant, changed the young man's body into that of a small black piglet when he was soaked in cold water. There was no cure for the curse, but hot water changed the man back, making for a temporary treatment. By the time Ryouga, now a little black pig, was able to drag himself and his clothing out of the pond, Ranma had left, and returned with the boy's large pack, and a kettle of hot water.  
"You're such a moron sometimes, Ryouga, I swear." He told the pig as he rummaged through Ryouga's belongings. "You'd think you would've learned by now."  
Ranma pulled some dry clothes out of Ryouga's pack, then poured the kettle of hot water over the pig's head.  
"You're a jerk, Ranma. You know that?" Ryouga dressed himself quickly, and stood over his long-time rival. "You're vein, you're stupid, and you don't deserve half of what you have. Damn lucky bastard." He grabbed his pack, slipping his arms through the straps, and hefted it onto his back.  
"Jeez, Ryouga. Lighten up. It was just a spar. Kami knows you'll be back here to 'challenge me to one last duel' in a week or two." Ranma sighed, standing as well. Ryouga narrowed his eyes at the man with the pig-tail, and then turned away.  
"Farewell, Saotome Ranma." He said casually, then hopped over the fence surrounding the Tendou's backyard and disappeared. Ranma stared after him, curiously, wondering over Ryouga's permanent, yet so casually stated, good-bye.  
  
  
As the light in the sky began to dwindle, and the sun slowly began to set, Ryouga watched. After his defeat by Ranma, he had found himself wandering again for the rest of the afternoon. Fate must have been smiling down upon him, he mused, for about an hour before the sun began to set, he had found his destination.  
Sitting on an old, wooden bench in the middle of the park, Ryouga admired the sunset. It would be his last, he knew, just as the sunrise that morning would be his last as well. He studied the sky, silently; he never wanted to forget the beautiful colors which would soon be replaced by the velvety black of the night sky.  
  
"I see you have found your way, my boy." About an hour after the sun had set fully, the pale-skinned man arrived, as he had promised. Ryouga nodded slightly to him, glancing over at him from the corner of his eye. "I apologize for your long wait, my friend," The foreigner ran long, slender fingers back through his hair, "but I needed to get a quick.. bite." He chuckled to himself, and sat down next to Ryouga.  
Ryouga did not look at the man, but continued to stare at the sky, as he had been for the past few hours. This was it, wasn't it? A departing of an old life, and an entrance into a new one. Finally, he looked over at the foreign man, who smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"Are you sure that you are willing to go through with this?" He asked Ryouga. "I will not force you, nor will I try to persuade you."  
"I want this." Ryouga stated flatly. "I'm more sure of it than anything I have ever been sure about."  
"Very well." The foreigner smiled, and reached out, caressing Ryouga's cheek, and then pulled him close.  
"Wait.." Ryouga murmured, "Before you do this, I must know.. What is your name?"  
The blonde-haired man's lips brushed gently against Ryouga's neck, ready to have his fill of the young man's life. "You, my friend," he whispered, "may call me... Father." With those words, the gaijin placed his mouth on Ryouga's neck, sharp fangs sinking slowly into his skin.  
When he had had his fill, and when Ryouga was near death, but not yet over the line, the stranger-- the vampire-- slit his wrist and held it to Ryouga's lips.  
  
"Drink." He hissed, "Drink your fill."   
Ryouga drank the vampire's blood, drank until he could drink no more, drank until the undead one pulled his arm away. And then Ryouga felt it. Death.  
  
"Wha.. augh.." Ryouga fell off the bench and onto the ground, writing in pain as he felt his body begin to die.  
"Do not be afraid, my friend, for it is only the mortal body which is dying. It is only the beginning."  
Ryouga screamed as his heart stopped, and rolled over onto his side as he felt the last of his life slipping away. He curled into a fetal position, hugging himself as the pain increased, more and more and..  
  
Finally, after a long time, he sat up and opened his eyes. Ryouga blinked. He looked around him at the world, the world he had always known, and at the world he had never seen. His senses were overloaded in such a wonderful way; never before had he experienced life in such a way. How ironic, indeed, it was that the realization of all living would come to him through death.  
"How do you feel, my friend?" The blonde haired vampire held out a hand to Ryouga. Ryouga took his hand and stood, looking around in awe.   
"Everything.. Everything looks the same, yet at the same time, it's so different." The gaijin just smiled at Ryouga. "It's as if I was a blind man, seeing everything for the first time! And you.. You gave me this dark gift. How do I repay you?"  
"There's all of eternity to worry about that, my friend."  
  
  
"Ryouga-sama!" Ryouga and the gaijin vampire turned as a petite young woman rode towards them, calling out to Ryouga from atop a giant pig. "Ryouga-sama!"  
"Who is that?" The gaijin asked Ryouga.  
"She's my love.." He whispered; the gaijin heard perfectly clear. "Akari!" He called out to her.  
"_Stupid boy," _The pale-skinned vampire thought to himself as he watched the girl jump off of the giant pig and into Ryouga's loving embrace. _"Even with the dark blessing, he is stuck between the world of immortals and men."_  
  
"Akari-san, what are you doing here?" Ryouga looked down at the young woman in his arms. She looked up at him and smiled. Ryouga stared down at Akari in awe. He could see everything about her-- the light layer of oil and dirt on her face, the tiny lines in her lips, the dark circles under her eyes; all of which were invisible to the mortal eye. As well, for the first time, Ryouga saw how beautiful Akari was, especially her eyes, which sparkled with the love she had for him. How could he have never noticed?  
"You missed our date, Ryouga-sama, so I came looking for you! Oh, dear, you're so cold Ryouga-sama.." Her voice was soft and sweet, like a child's. Suddenly, Ryouga wanted Akari to look as beautiful as her voice was, as beautiful as the shimmer in her eyes; he wanted her to be with him forever.   
The gaijin vampire watched the two, amused. "_Pitiful._" He smiled, feeling the emotion that was beginning to creep into Ryouga. Perhaps this would be interesting.  
  
Ryouga hugged Akari tightly to him, running the fingers of one hand through her hair. "Akari, my love.." He whispered in her ear.  
"R-Ryouga-sama, you're hurting me.." Akari whimpered. Although, for sure, he thought his embrace was gentle, it was indeed a death grip. He didn't notice. Instead, he hugged her a little tighter and nuzzled her neck. That's when the feeling that the gaijin vampire had felt took over. "R-Ryouga please--"  
Ryouga's mind went numb as he held the girl tightly. There was a powerful feeling, no, a need that ran through him. Akari began to scream, but he didn't hear her. Nothing. He saw nothing, he felt nothing. For a long moment, there was a blackness that engulfed him. The feeling passed after a few minutes, and Ryouga blinked.  
  
"Wha.. What happened. Akari-san..?" He asked quietly. There was no answer. Ryouga loosened his grip on the girl, and she began to fall to the ground. "Akari!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her up. Akari's head fell backwards, dead eyes staring up at the sky.  
"Akari-san, hey.." He shook her. Nothing. "Akari-san, hey! Talk to me..!" He shook her again. Akari was silent. Ryouga let go of the girl, and stepped back, as a look of horror swept over his face. Akari's lifeless body slumped to the ground, her eyes wide, empty. Ryouga, the realization that Akari was dead finally sinking in, took another step back, lifting his mouth to his hand. He pulled it away, feeling something warm seeping out of his mouth and down his chin. He looked at his hand; it was covered in blood. Was he bleeding? No, it couldn't be, could it? At that moment, Ryouga looked back at Akari, and that's when he caught sight of the two small puncture wounds on the girl's neck.  
"Oh my god.." Ryouga murmured in shock, realizing what had transpired.  
  
"My friend," the gaijin vampire spoke softly from next to Ryouga, "god has no place in his heaven for you."  
  
  



End file.
